Chapter 324 Attribute Analysis and Material Commission

He couldn't be more satisfied.

Forged with Gray Steel from the Decapitating Longsword as its main material, it was supplemented by the [Molten Ash Silver Ingot] he had brought back from the secret realm and the grip of the [Ember Training Cane], then enhanced with [Solar Flame Iron Plating Powder] and "Petrification Lizard Slime."

Totalling a full three thousand gold coins in forging fees, the final product vastly exceeded Xia Nan's expectations.

The previous [Decapitating Longsword] had been nothing more than an ordinary common-tier weapon. Perhaps due to its unique materials and some unexpected circumstances during forging, it had acquired two decent attributes, but its low equipment level meant it was never truly outstanding.

The newly reforged [Ember Fall] straight sword, however, had undergone a complete rebirth.

The dense block of seven special effects that nearly filled his entire field of vision clearly proved the weapon's true value.

First were the two bonus attributes the [Decapitating Longsword] originally possessed: "+50% Durability" and "+5% Decapitation Damage."

The former had doubled, leaping from the original "+50%" to "+100%."

Without a doubt, this improvement constituted a "qualitative change."

The [Decapitating Longsword] had accompanied Xia Nan from the moment he first transmigrated into this world as a clueless rookie adventurer, all the way through mastering combat techniques, gaining Class Levels, and becoming a veteran. It had endured countless fierce battles, clashing with all sorts of enemies.

It wasn't until the very end, when he encountered those otherworldly enemies in the secret realm, that it finally suffered damage for the first time.

This performance far exceeded what was expected of a common-tier weapon.

Xia Nan's patient and meticulous daily maintenance was certainly one reason for this.

On the other hand, the [Decapitating Longsword]'s 50% durability bonus was what truly allowed it to remain so resilient.

Now that this figure had doubled, the blade's durability would likely reach an absurd level.

If he were to shove the current [Ember Fall] into the throat of the basilisk that had corroded the [Decapitating Longsword], it likely wouldn't show a single trace of corrosion when pulled back out.

If a common adventurer's ordinary weapon clashed against [Ember Fall] with enough force on both sides, there was a high chance the standard weapon would snap cleanly in half while the straight sword remained completely unscathed.

Meanwhile, the latter attribute, "+5% Decapitation Damage," had tripled, reaching "15%."

Previously, although Xia Nan favored killing via "decapitation" in combat, that was primarily because the neck was a vital weak point for most enemies, making it ideal for a finishing blow. Thus, he had gradually formed the habit.

Now, with the decapitation damage bonus reaching "15%," he naturally couldn't ignore the boost.

His established decapitation habit would become even more ingrained, solidifying into an indispensable part of his combat style.

The two attributes above were merely the beginning.

The following five were each more impactful than the last.

— +5% Slashing Damage.

The very first Feat Xia Nan had acquired after transmigrating to this world, [Slashing Expert], added exactly that much.

The utility went without saying. Unlike the "Decapitation Damage" mentioned above, "Slashing Damage" was not restricted to a specific body part. Theoretically, even if he grabbed a random branch and whittled the edge slightly sharp, he could trigger this damage-boosting attribute. The bonuses could even stack with each other, achieving a "1+1 is greater than 2" effect.

The only thing requiring further study was the exact trigger sequence of the two 5% slashing damage bonuses from the straight sword and his Feat.

Would it simply add the two 5% values together into a flat 10% boost to his actual damage, or would it apply one 5% boost first, then add another 5% on top of a 105% base? Or was there some other, more complex calculation method at play?

After all, this was the real world. A damage number wouldn't just pop up when Xia Nan swung his sword, and he didn't have the means to accurately measure the precise power of every strike.

He could only roughly estimate and compare them through his own physical perception.

Regardless, it was undeniably an improvement.

Then there was the 10% "Mental Damage" bonus.

To be honest, Xia Nan didn't know much about what kind of effect this special damage would have in combat, or even the exact definition of "Mental Damage" itself.

But there was no doubt that this special damage targeting the spirit and mind was absolutely not weak. It might not compare to the lofty "Force" damage, but it definitely belonged to the top tier of troublesome damage types on the Aifala Continent, far harder to deal with than common effects like "Fire," "Corrosion," or "Ice."

To some extent, it greatly increased the versatility of Xia Nan's attacks.

In the most extreme situations, a single swing of his sword—aside from the blade's inherent physical damage—could simultaneously inflict three special damage types: "Force," "Ember," and "Mental," achieving an effect of "multiple mixed damage."

— +33% Damage to Wandering Spirit-type Creatures;

The scope was strictly limited to "Wandering Spirit-type Creatures," but to balance that narrow application, the damage boost was frankly exaggerated.

After all, despite the formidable effects the [Azure Pine] wooden sword had displayed in combat against "Undead" and "Reptile" enemies, it only carried bonuses of "15%" and "20%," respectively.

With this straight sword's 33% damage increase, if Xia Nan ever encountered wandering spirit-type enemies in the future, [Ember Fall] would likely act as their natural predator, unleashing a targeted attack capable of crushing dry weeds and rotting wood.

As for the last two attributes, they needed no further explanation.

Xia Nan even suspected that the reason [Ember Fall]'s weapon grade on his Attribute Panel displayed as "Rare (Blue) / Unique (Purple)" was determined entirely by whether he could trigger these two combat techniques, which required entering the Ember state of [Ember Echoes] to use.

During daily use, it fell under the category of blue gear, but upon entering the Ember state, the two effects would activate, transforming [Ember Fall] into purple gear.

[Molten Flow Reshaping] allowed the explosive embers that normally melted equipment to repair the weapon instead. Paired with the 100% durability bonus, it made the straight sword even more durable and resilient while also increasing the Ember bonus damage to a certain extent.

The final attribute made it possible to reduce the original massive 30-day cooldown of [Ember Echoes], naturally leading to a massive increase in his proficiency acquisition speed.

Of course, various factors—such as exactly how much cooldown time could be reduced, whether the number and strength of killed enemies affected the reduction, and whether there was a limit to this reduction—still required a considerable amount of practical testing to verify.

In the most ideal scenario, Xia Nan could significantly reduce the cooldown of [Ember Echoes] just by hunting goblins, thereby vastly improving his efficiency in gaining proficiency.

If the quantity and quality of goblins couldn't trigger the attribute's effect, he would have to plan long-term and slowly search for suitable targets.

All seven attributes were incredibly useful. With the accumulation of numbers like "100%," "15%," and "33%," the stats on the [Ember Fall] straight sword were practically overflowing.

For a moment, feeling the heavy weight in his hands, Xia Nan suddenly felt a subtle shift in his mood.

With the bonuses from his physical attributes and combat techniques, he could already be considered "overpowered." Now, paired with such a "stat monster" of a weapon, they were quite a matching set.

They both had a bright future ahead.

Behind him, standing by the door, Barn had maintained a proud demeanor from start to finish out of confidence in his craftsmanship. However, upon carefully observing the satisfied expression on Xia Nan's face, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After waiting a short while, he stepped forward and began introducing the weapon's detailed information to Xia Nan in a muffled voice.

"The Solar Flame Iron Plating Powder greatly enhanced the straight sword's durability and sharpness, and also provided a certain boost to damage aimed at the neck. The silver ingot you provided gave it an extra mental damage bonus, while drastically increasing its damage against wandering spirit-type creatures."

As he spoke, Barn frowned slightly, a trace of hesitation showing on his face. "But since the materials used to forge the straight sword were quite unique, I wasn't entirely familiar with them. The completion time was also short, so I didn't have time to conduct further inspections. I suspect this straight sword has other hidden effects, or effects that require special conditions to trigger and activate. If you aren't in a hurry, you could leave the straight sword here for a few more days and take it back once the inspection is complete."

It could only be said that he was indeed the forger of the [Ember Fall] straight sword. Even without an Attribute Panel like Xia Nan's, the dwarf blacksmith still managed to deduce the straight sword's hidden effects relying purely on his experience and intuition.

Knowing that the effects the other party mentioned were likely the two special abilities that required the Ember state to trigger, Xia Nan organized his words. After a moment of thought, he politely declined, "It's alright, I can slowly figure out these effects myself as I use it. After all, the longsword I was using for the transition is destroyed, leaving a gap for my primary weapon. If I accidentally run into an emergency, it would be very difficult to handle."

Out of a sense of responsibility, Barn opened his mouth, hesitating as if wanting to persuade him.

But seeing Xia Nan's calm and firm tone, he simply nodded and said no more, only offering one final reminder. "Alright, that works too. But if you really have no clue later on, you can consider trying your luck at the place where you found that silver ingot. The straight sword's hidden effects should originate from the ingot itself, so you might discover something."

Possessing an Attribute Panel and already knowing all of [Ember Fall]'s stats, Xia Nan knew Barn was only saying these things out of a forger's sense of responsibility, so he naturally wouldn't find the dwarf overly talkative.

He nodded with a sincere expression and replied, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

At the same time, his gaze returned to the straight sword in his hand, carefully studying its shape, which was far more "condensed" than the Decapitating Longsword.

Speaking of which, considering Xia Nan's current combat style—which centered around [Fang Hunt] and emphasized agility and mobility—a two-handed longsword of the [Decapitating Longsword]'s size was actually quite unsuitable.

From a purely practical standpoint, the most suitable weapon would actually be the kind of light scimitars used by classes like rangers and rogues. Held in a standard grip in one hand and a reverse grip in the other, they were slightly longer than standard daggers but visibly shorter than a one-handed sword.

This way, he could not only maximize the explosive power and mobility brought by [Fang Hunt] and utilize the scimitar's own characteristics, but also fully display the traits of [Spinning Slash] in combat, executing continuous whirling strikes with both hands in a storm-like offensive.

But humans were humans, after all. They weren't machines that always leaned toward the most efficient and "correct" choices and development paths; they had their own preferences and habits.

Xia Nan's first weapon after transmigrating was a crude one-handed sword that had passed through an unknown number of owners. After earning some money, the first weapon he bought was the [Decapitating Longsword], which required two hands to wield.

Subconsciously, this had already established his foundational preferences for choosing and using weapons.

If he were forced to choose a scimitar he had never used before just for the sake of slight efficiency at this point, the resulting growing pains and unfamiliarity of swapping weapon types would heavily diminish his actual combat power.

And even if he completely adapted in the end, ignoring the time costs involved, compared to the current straight sword... would his combat power truly be as enhanced as the ideal scenario suggested?

Probably not.

Besides, he had only just reached Level 2, and the road ahead was still very long. If he learned and mastered an even stronger combat technique more suitable as a core skill in the future, wouldn't he need to change his primary weapon all over again?

This was an important issue that required weighing many factors and would affect his future development.

Currently in the rapid progression phase of his early professional career, Xia Nan opted to play it safe, making a relatively secure choice that also aligned with his inner preferences.

The [Ember Fall] straight sword wasn't as severely detached from his combat style as a two-handed longsword, nor was it as extreme as dual-wielding scimitars. It sat in a conservative middle ground.

This way, whether he chose to transition or maintain his current style in the future, he would have a smoother grace period.

This was also a minor, yet not insignificant, consideration for Xia Nan during the reforging process.

Now wasn't the time to test the new sword's power. Standing before the wooden table, he gave it a few test swings in the air, then suppressed his surging emotions and forced himself to stop.

He sheathed the straight sword in a minimalist dark brown scabbard—a custom freebie from Barn—and set it gently on the table.

Turning around, he nodded in acknowledgment to the dwarf blacksmith. "I'm extremely satisfied with this reforged straight sword. I'll pay you the remaining two thousand gold balance within three days."

It was slightly awkward, but with Xia Nan's current savings, he was still a little short of paying off the debt. He would have to wait for the bounty from his subsequent Association quests to be issued before having some breathing room.

Barn didn't mind this, however, merely waving his hand to gesture for Xia Nan to say no more.

After all, he had even offered installment payments initially. Since they were old clients, he didn't care about a day or two's delay.

Instead, his gaze subconsciously drifted toward the bundle Xia Nan had placed in the corner upon entering.

It wasn't tied tight. When it hit the ground, the opening of the bundle loosened, revealing a strange metallic sheen inside, while a faint, peculiar scent of sulfur lingered in the air.

Noticing his gaze, Xia Nan walked over, picked up the bundle, and opened it right in front of Barn, explaining, "I ran into a few devils from Hell on this quest. These are the spoils I scavenged. Four steel pitchforks and a long saber. See if they're worth anything. Or we could just melt them down and forge some gear out of them. What do you think?"